Beverage container having an inner structure

ABSTRACT

A beverage container may include an inner structure which received and holds a crystal or other display piece within the container. The inner structure may be a mounting structure which includes a slot for receiving a portion of a crystal to hold the crystal in place while the beverage container is being used.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to a container configured for holding a structure inside of the container. More particularly, the invention may relate to a container which facilitates the use of a removable crystal or other structure for cleaning, or for change of design.

One popular trend among many people who use water bottles is to use a water bottle having a crystal disposed therein. Many people believe that the use of crystals promote wellness and positive energy. Thus, people will use water bottles containing crystals and may use such bottles for containing other drinks such as tea, juices, etc.

As shown in FIG. 1, in some presently available bottles, the crystal 4 is attached to a cap 8 which screws onto the bottom of a generally cylindrical sidewall 12 so that when attached, the crystal extends up into a cavity 20 inside the sidewall. The top of the sidewall is generally configured to receive a cap 16 which may include a strap 24.

One concern with such water bottles is that the crystal 4 is generally fixedly attached to the cap 8. In some embodiments this is done by adhesively attaching the crystal 4 to the cap 8. In other embodiments, a wire extends through the crystal 4 to anchor the crystal to the cap 8. While such arrangements securely hold the crystal 4 to the cap 8, they raise a concern when cleaning the bottle. If such a bottle is used for liquids other than water, material can collect around the base of the crystal 4. It may be difficult to remove such material from around the base of the crystal when the crystal is so attached.

Additionally, having the crystal 4 attached to the cap 8 by wires or by adhesive limits the ability of a user to change the crystal. A user may desire, for example, to change the color of the crystal in their water bottle, or to replace one crystal with the crystal formed from a different material or having a different shape. Thus, there is a need for an alternate mechanism for attaching a crystal inside a drinking bottle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A beverage container having an inner structure may include a mounting structure which extends upwardly from a base member of the container. In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, the mounting structure includes a slot for receiving an insert.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, the mounting structure is attached to a cap which attaches to a central portion of a bottle so as to form a bottom portion of the bottle and help contain liquids therein.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, the mounting structure is made from a transparent material so as to minimize the appearance of the mounting structure when a liquid is disposed in the bottle.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, the beverage container may include a crystal having at least one slot formed therein so that a base member of the crystal nests in the mounting structure.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention,

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, the mounting structure and lower cap are formed from dishwasher safe materials.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments of the present disclosure are shown and described in reference to the numbered drawings wherein;

FIG. 1 shows a side, exploded view of a beverage bottle formed in accordance with the teachings of the prior art;

FIG. 2 shows a side view of a beverage bottle cap having a mounting structure attached thereto;

FIG. 3 shows a side view of a crystal formed for insertion into the mounting structure of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 3A through 3D show alternate configurations for crystals for insertion into a mounting structure;

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a beverage bottle having a crystal disposed therein in accordance with principles of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 shows a side view of a beverage bottle having a crystal disposed therein similar to that of FIG. 4, but where in the mounting structure is generally transparent;

FIG. 6 shows an opposing side view of a beverage bottle;

FIG. 7 shows a side view taken generally perpendicular from the views of FIGS. 5 and 6; and

FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional view of an alternate beverage container.

It will be appreciated that the drawings are illustrative and not limiting of the scope of the invention which is defined by the appended claims. The embodiments shown accomplish various aspects and objects of the invention. It will be appreciated that it is not possible to clearly show each element and aspect of the present disclosure in a single figure, and as such, multiple figures are presented to separately illustrate the various details of different aspects of the invention in greater clarity. Similarly, not all configurations or embodiments described herein or covered by the appended claims will include all of the aspects of the present disclosure as discussed above.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various aspects of the invention and accompanying drawings will now be discussed in reference to the numerals provided therein so as to enable one skilled in the art to practice the present invention. The skilled artisan will understand, however, that the methods described below can be practiced without employing these specific details, or that they can be used for purposes other than those described herein. Indeed, they can be modified and can be used in conjunction with products and techniques known to those of skill in the art in light of the present disclosure. The drawings and the descriptions thereof are intended to be exemplary of various aspects of the invention and are not intended to narrow the scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that the drawings may show aspects of the invention in isolation and the elements in one figure may be used in conjunction with elements shown in other figures.

Reference in the specification to “one embodiment,” “one configuration,” “an embodiment,” or “a configuration” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment, etc. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places may not necessarily limit the inclusion of a particular element of the invention to a single embodiment, rather the element may be included in other or all embodiments discussed herein.

Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics of embodiments of the present disclosure may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In the following description, numerous specific details may be provided, such as examples of products or manufacturing techniques that may be used, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the invention. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that embodiments discussed in the disclosure may be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, and so forth. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations may not be shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the invention.

Before the present invention is disclosed and described in detail, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to any particular structures, process steps, or materials discussed or disclosed herein, but is extended to include equivalents thereof as would be recognized by those of ordinarily skill in the relevant art. More specifically, the invention is defined by the terms set forth in the claims. It should also be understood that terminology contained herein is used for the purpose of describing particular aspects of the invention only and is not intended to limit the invention to the aspects or embodiments shown unless expressly indicated as such. Likewise, the discussion of any particular aspect of the invention is not to be understood as a requirement that such aspect is required to be present apart from an express inclusion of that aspect in the claims.

It should also be noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, singular forms such as “a,” “an,” and “the” may include the plural unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a bracket” may include an embodiment having one or more of such brackets, and reference to “the threads” may include reference to one or more of threads.

As used herein, the term “substantially” refers to the complete or nearly complete extent or degree of an action, characteristic, property, state, structure, item, or result to function as indicated. For example, an object that is “substantially” enclosed would mean that the object is either completely enclosed or nearly completely enclosed. The exact allowable degree of deviation from absolute completeness may in some cases depend on the specific context, such that enclosing the nearly all of the length of a lumen would be substantially enclosed, even if the distal end of the structure enclosing the lumen had a slit or channel formed along a portion thereof. The use of “substantially” is equally applicable when used in a negative connotation to refer to the complete or near complete lack of an action, characteristic, property, state, structure, item, or result. For example, structure which is “substantially free of” a bottom would either completely lack a bottom or so nearly completely lack a bottom that the effect would be effectively the same as if it completely lacked a bottom.

As used herein, the term “generally” refers to something that has characteristics of a quality without being exactly that quality. For example, a structure said to be generally vertical would be at least as vertical as horizontal, i.e. would extend 45 degrees or greater from horizontal. Likewise, something said to be generally circular may be rounded like an oval and need not have a consistent diameter in every direction.

As used herein, the term “about” is used to provide flexibility to a numerical range endpoint by providing that a given value may be “a little above” or “a little below” the endpoint while still accomplishing the function associated with the range.

As used herein, a plurality of items, structural elements, compositional elements, and/or materials may be presented in a common list for convenience. However, these lists should be construed as though each member of the list is individually identified as a separate and unique member.

Concentrations, amounts, proportions and other numerical data may be expressed or presented herein in a range format. It is to be understood that such a range format is used merely for convenience and brevity and thus should be interpreted flexibly to include not only the numerical values explicitly recited as the limits of the range, but also to include all the individual numerical values or sub-ranges encompassed within that range as if each numerical value and sub-range is explicitly recited. As an illustration, a numerical range of “about 1 to about 5” should be interpreted to include not only the explicitly recited values of about 1 to about 5, but also include individual values and sub-ranges within the indicated range. Thus, included in this numerical range are individual values such as 2, 3, and 4 and sub-ranges such as from 1-3, from 2-4, and from 3-5, etc., as well as 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, individually. This same principle applies to ranges reciting only one numerical value as a minimum or a maximum. Furthermore, such an interpretation should apply regardless of the breadth of the range or the characteristics being described.

Turning now to FIG. 2, there is shown a side view of a bottom cap 104 for a beverage container made in accordance with principles of the present disclosure. While not shown, the bottom cap 104 will typically include threads by which the bottom cap is attached to a cylindrical body of the container. As will be shown in FIG. 8 below, the invention may also be implemented with a container having a continuous bottom. The bottom cap 104 has a mounting structure 108 disposed thereon. Preferably, the mounting structure 108 extends above the uppermost reach of the bottom cap 104. However, this is not required and the mounting structure 112 could be lower than the top of the bottom cap 104.

The mounting structure 108 may be formed in a general column shape, or may have other cross-sectional configurations. Disposed near the top of the mounting structure 108 may be a slot 112 which is formed to receive a bottom portion of a crystal or other insert. The mounting structure 108 may include one or more arms 110 which extend inwardly so as to engage a crystal, etc. It will be appreciated that the arms 110 may be made from a rigid material, or a material which provides some flex to enable the arms to engage a bottom portion of a crystal and anchor it in place. One aspect of the present disclosure is that the mounting structure or any portion thereof may be made from a transparent material. If the material has an appropriate index of refraction, a crystal held by the mounting structure 108 may appear to be floating in the water while it is securely held by the mounting structure. It will be appreciated that the slot 112 may extend from side to side in the mounting structure 108, or may extend only partway into the mounting structure so that a crystal may be inserted or removed from the mounting structure on only one side.

Turning now to FIG. 3, there is shown a side view of a crystal 116 formed for insertion into the mounting structure of FIG. 2. The crystal 116 may include a channel or groove 120 near the base of the crystal. The grove may be on a single side (FIG. 3D) or may be on two or more sides. In a presently preferred embodiment, the groove 120 is generally annular so that the crystal does not have to be positioned with any particular side facing the slot 112 as it is slid into the mounting structure 110 (FIG. 2). The groove 120 may be sized similar to the thickness of the arms 110 and the distance between the bottom of the groove and the bottom of the crystal may be substantially the same as the distance between the arms 110 and the bottom of the slot 112. In such a manner, the crystal 116 may be held securely in the mounting structure so as to facilitate anchoring of the crystal while the beverage container is in use. It will be appreciated that such bottles are typically used in conjunction with exercise or other physical activity. Thus, it is important that the crystal 116 remain securely anchored in the mounting structure 108.

As shown in FIG. 3, the crystal includes a base portion 118 disposed below the groove. This may be formed by simply cutting the groove 120 into the crystal on a lathe or other cutting device. In the alternative, the base 118 could be formed by a head of a fastener such as a screw or bolt which extends into the bottom of the crystal. Either way, however, the crystal 116 can be easily removed for cleaning or for replacement with another crystal.

FIG. 3B shows an alternate configuration of a crystal 116 a which can be used in the beverage container. One advantage of the mounting structure 108 of the present disclosure is that the crystal 116 can be removed for cleaning. This is particularly important if the person uses the container for beverages other than water, or if the user adds other material to the water, such as fruit juices, vitamins, etc. which may collect on the crystal and sour, etc. Another advantage is that the user may replace the crystal 116 if the crystal becomes damaged or if the person simply wishes for a different look in their beverage container. Thus, a different color crystal could be used, or crystals having a variety of shapes. Thus, the crystal 116 a shown in FIG. 3B is shorter and broader than the crystal 116 shown in FIG. 3. In contrast, the crystal 116 b shown in FIG. 3C is generally oval-shaped, while the crystal 116 c shown in FIG. 5 has a generally pentagonal cross-section.

FIG. 3D shows an embodiment of a crystal 116 d which has a groove on a single side. It will be appreciated that the mounting structure 108 in FIG. 1 could be provided with a single arm 110 to engage the crystal. Likewise, the arms 110 could be formed by a single armor flange which is generally U-shaped so as to go around three sides of the crystal.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a beverage container, generally indicated at 100, having a crystal 116 disposed therein in accordance with principles of the present disclosure. The beverage container 100 may be formed by the bottom cap 104, a generally cylindrical sidewall 124, and a top 128. The generally cylindrical sidewall 124 may be transparent so that a user may see the crystal 116 disposed on the mounting structure 108 extending upwardly from the bottom cap 104. If the mounting structure 104 is transparent and has an appropriate index of refraction, the crystal 116 may appear to float inside the container 100.

As shown in FIG. 4, the mounting structure 108 may be formed of two pieces. A base member 130 may be attached to or formed integrally with the bottom cap 104. The upper portion 138 of the mounting structure 130 may be attachable to the base member 130. Preferably, the upper portion of the 138 mounting structure 104 is adjustably attachable to the base member 130. This may be accomplished by forming a void 140 (FIG. 5) in the base member 130 and the upper portion 138 including a mounting arm or flange 148 which can nest in the void. Thus, as shown in FIG. 5, the flange 148 may be an annular ring with threads which engage threads on an interior wall of the base member defining the void 140. This allows the upper portion 138 to screw onto and be removed from the base member 130.

FIG. 5 also shows a post 144 which may extend upwardly into a void in the mounting arm or flange 148. The upper portion 138 may be screwed down so that slot moves down relative to the post 144 so the post engages the base 118 of the crystal 116 and secures it against the arms 110. This enables a user to slide the crystal 116 into the slot 112 and then tighten down the upper portion 138 so that the arms 110 forcefully engage the base 118 of the crystal 116 and hold it securely in place.

FIG. 6 shows a side view of the beverage container 100 taken from an opposing side. The structures are shown as if the mounting structure 108 is clear and are thus visible. It will be appreciated that if a nontransparent material were used for the mounting structure, the internal portions of the mounting structure would not be visible and the crystal 116 would only be visible above the mounting structure except in the view shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 shows a side view taken generally perpendicular or orthogonal from the views of FIGS. 5 and 6. The view shows a cutaway 152 in the upper portion 138 of the mounting structure 108 which forms the opening into the slot 112 (not shown in FIG. 7). If the slot 112 were to extend all the way through the upper portion 138, and other cutaway 152 may be present on the opposing side of the upper portion. With such a configuration, a user can readily remove the crystal 116 for polishing, general cleaning, or replacement. This can be done by simply sliding the crystal 116 out of the slot 112 if the opening at the top of the container is sufficiently large to accept a user's hand. Prior to sliding the crystal 116 out of the slot, the user may need to turn or otherwise adjust the upper portion 138 so as to loosen the engagement of the base portion 118 of the crystal between the arms 110 and the post 144. Alternatively, in containers having a removable bottom cap 104, the cap can be first removed and then the crystal 116 removed from the mounting structure. Such an arrangement enables more thorough cleaning of the beverage container and also allows the user to personalize their beverage container for their particular mood.

While discussed above primarily in the context of the portable water container, it will be appreciated that the invention could be used with other types of beverage containers. For example, FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional view of a beverage container 100′ such as is commonly used to dispense drinks at large activities. The beverage container 100′ includes a housing 124′ with an opening 126 which is used to refill the container. The beverage container 100′ also includes a faucet or spigot 132 for dispensing the beverage contained in the container. Also disposed in the container 100′ is a mounting structure 108′ with a slot 112′ or similar structure which allows a crystal 116′ to be attached to the mounting structure. While the mounting structure 108′ could include an upper portion and base member which adjustably engage one another to secure the crystal as discussed with respect to FIGS. 4-7, for a large container the need to secure the crystal is less because it will generally not be moved much and because users obtain water or other beverages through the faucet or spigot though which the crystal cannot pass.

Additionally, the mounting structure 108′ need not be disposed on a removable bottom cap because the opening 126 at the top of the beverage container 100′ is sufficiently large to enable the user to insert her hand and remove the crystal 116′ or other display item attached to the mounting structure 108′. Thus, the beverage container 100′ could be used with a number of other beverage containers with crystals which matched the bride's colors at a wedding. Likewise, crystals or other display objects could be attached inside the container for corporate events or anywhere that a person wishes to display something inside the beverage during the event.

Thus, there is disclosed an improved beverage container. It will be appreciated that the present disclosure as provided represents embodiments of the scope of the invention in that numerous modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The appended claims are intended to cover such modifications. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A beverage container having a mounting structure disposed on a lower portion thereof, the mounting structure being configured to releasably hold a crystal.
 2. The beverage container according to claim 1, wherein the mounting structure includes a slot for receiving the crystal.
 3. The beverage container according to claim 1, wherein the mounting structure includes an upper portion and a base member, the upper portion being adjustably connected to the base member.
 4. The beverage container according to claim 3, wherein the upper portion and the base member are in threaded engagement with one another.
 5. The beverage container according to claim 4, wherein the upper portion includes an annular flange and wherein the base member includes a post which extends upwardly within the area circumscribed by the annular flange.
 6. The beverage container of claim 5, wherein the upper portion includes a slot and wherein rotating the upper portion causes the post to extend into the slot.
 7. The beverage container according to claim 1, wherein the mounting structure is generally transparent.
 8. The beverage container according to claim 1, further comprising a crystal disposed in the beverage container.
 9. The beverage container according to claim 8, wherein the crystal has a groove formed therein adjacent a lower end of the crystal.
 10. The beverage container according to claim 9, wherein the crystal has an annular groove.
 11. The beverage container according to claim 8, wherein the crystal has a base configured to slide into the slot in the mounting structure.
 12. The beverage container according to claim 8, wherein the crystal can be removed from the beverage container without removing or damaging the mounting structure.
 13. The beverage container of claim 1, wherein the mounting structure includes a slot defined by at least one arm.
 14. A method for removably holding a crystal in a beverage container, the method comprising: selecting a beverage container having a mounting structure disposed therein; and sliding a portion of the crystal into the mounting structure such that the mounting structure holds the crystal within the beverage container.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the method includes selecting a crystal having a groove formed in the crystal and wherein the mounting structure includes a slot for receiving a portion of the crystal.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the mounting structure includes an upper portion and a base member which are adjustably attached to one another, and wherein the method includes adjusting the attachment between the upper portion and the base member to secure the crystal.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the upper portion has an annular flange which extends into a void in the base member and wherein the base member has a post which is circumscribed by the annual flange, and the method includes rotating the upper portion until the post comes into contact with the crystal.
 18. The method of claim 14, further comprising loosening the mounting structure and removing the crystal.
 19. A beverage container having: a housing with an upper opening and a lower opening; a top cap attachable to the housing to cover the upper opening; and a bottom cap attachable to the housing to cover the bottom opening; the bottom cap including a mounting structure for receiving a crystal, the mounting structure including a an upper portion and a lower portion with a void formed therebetween, and wherein at least one of the upper portion and the lower portion is movable with respect to the other of the upper portion and the lower portion to secure the base portion of the crystal between the upper portion and the lower portion.
 20. The beverage container of claim 19, wherein the upper portion of the mounting structure is threadedly attachable to the lower portion of the mounting structure. 